… those were the Chinese characters displayed at the front of the church we attended this morning for an Easter Sunday service in Jinan. The entire service was conducted in Chinese. Interpreters had been arranged to sit amongst us, but apparently they were afraid to disturb the service while speaking, therefore wrote down their translation on pieces of paper that were passed up and down our aisles to read. The hymns were also in Chinese, most of them unrecognizable except to a few members of our group. The pastor delivered a passionate service to a full house. With the exception of a few nodding heads, everyone seemed quite engaged. The older generation sat on the lower, main floor and the younger adults sat on the second floor. (Above: the choir mistress leading the congregation in worship while the pastors prepare to deliver their Easter messages; the choir joining in the singing.)

This Lutheran church, as it turns out, is 90 years old but closed down at the start of the Cultural Revolution. The China “Open Door Policy” managed to re-open the doors of the church, too. After a restoration, the church re-opened its doors on Christmas Day 1976. Today the church’s three Sunday services cater to 3,000 adults. The services are so full that Sunday School is held on Saturdays, which is why we didn’t see any children or teenagers. (Above: views of the church's main floor interior.)

Following the service, the pastor and several other church members gave us an overview of their church and answered questions about Christianity in China. We were told that more and more young Chinese are becoming Christians. I asked why and was provided with an explanation from a young physician. Eventually she said to me, “It may seem very simple, but to be honest the Theory of Darwin hurt the hearts of the Chinese.” The group then asked us questions about Union Church. Curiously, they inquired, “Can you please tell us, is everyone in Hong Kong a Christian… is everyone baptised?” They asked as if assuming we were going to say yes, and were a bit surprised to find us exclaiming, “No!” Ironically, I am sure both Mother Teresa and Jackie Pollinger would have something to say about that fact. We were treated to a Chinese lunch at the church and then made our way to the service centre for autistic children, where we’ll be helping out this week. (Above: Ryan tries to defend why there aren't more Christians in Hong Kong… "It's The Vine," he explained, "they really need to get with the program."

At the centre we met the staff and heard their testimonies about working with autistic children. Every single one of them either was a Christian when they started working at the centre, or became a Christian along the way. It was very clear that each staff member had a huge heart for children with profound special needs and is very present to God’s grace through their interaction with these children. On Monday we will begin painting and repairing the facility, and spending our own time interacting with the kids. My camera had a mishap this evening but I managed to salvage the above pictures from the memory card. It’s late so I will now make a hasty retreat but be assured the Youth Group are in good hands and ready to start changing the world tomorrow, one brush stroke at a time. Stay tuned for more details. (Above: Percy sits between the Youth Group on the left and centre staff on the right, to assist with translation as the two groups shared questions and thoughts on special needs and the centre. Some of the Youth Group were able to converse in Chinese and/or assist with translation. Prior to leaving we took a quick group picture.)

Long day… many of us were quite tired by dinner…